Type-93Ku Kibakumo
The Type-93Ku Kibakumo, officially known as the Type-93Ku quadruped anti-aircraft/multipurpose artillery walker, is a quadruped Yamataian combat mech primarily designed for anti-aircraft purposes, though capable of carrying out a wide variety of other battlefield artillery missions. It comprises the Type-93 Kumo range of quadruped walkers along with its sister design the Type-93Ho Sōkōkumo, sharing the same chassis. The Kibakumo is equipped with four computer-guided 128mm automatic cannons capable of firing a wide variety of shells, allowing the Kibakumo to act as a mobile, versatile, armoured and well-armed artillery vehicle. Design The Kibakumo is built upon the Type-93 Kumo chassis, which has four powerful legs capable of providing stability on uneven ground. It is capable of travelling at a steady top speed of 34 km/h. Protected by carbon nanotube-reinforced plate titanium, with a thickness of 90mm in the front and a uniform 20mm elsewhere, the Kibakumo is also considered well armoured enough to engage targets directly as an armoured fighting vehicle. Its fearsome rate of fire is capable of providing absurdly powerful area control for Yamataian forces, though its low top speed and large size hinders its usage as a fighting vehicle, meaning despite its apparent frontline usefulness the Kibakumo is still more often found behind the lines as an artillery vehicle. Inertial dampeners allow for a relatively smooth ride within the vehicle despite the motion of the vehicle's legs as well as the sheer recoil from the firing of the guns. Armament Equipped with four 128mm smoothbore cannons, the Kibakumo is capable of firing up to 120–180 rounds per minute of various types. These vary widely from anti-aircraft rounds used in its primary mission, to high-explosive, flak, shaped charge, anti-fortification, anti-infantry shrapnel and guided rounds, allowing the Kibakumo to provide artillery support for almost any situation. When not used to bring down enemy aircraft and starships within atmospheres, the Kibakumo can also saturate large areas of land with high-explosive shells within a short time, allowing Yamataian commanders to control large areas of their battlefield. Ammunition for the main cannons is loaded in three-round clips of the same type of ammunition, which are stored in large armoured compartments behind the guns themselves. The guns are capable of firing in full-automatic, though are limited by the size of the clips. The gunners are able to select different types of ammunition clips on their holographic interfaces, which are then loaded by mechanical armatures within the loader assembly itself. The guns are aimed with the aid of computers and an on-board "dumb" artificial intelligence, with the capability of linking to orbital and battlefield assets for additional targeting information. For close-range anti-personnel use, the Kibakumo is also equipped with a pair of 12.7mm heavy machine guns in a dual mount on the front of the fighting compartment. Crew The Kibakumo has a crew of four, consisting of a commander, a driver and two gunners, each of whom control two of the main guns each. The driver also fires the heavy machine guns. History The Kibakumo was the first dedicated artillery walker to be produced for the Yamatai Imperial Military by Nagaragawa Kinzoku Industries, as part of the quadruped Type-93 Kumo series of support walkers. It quickly found its place amongst the formations of the SNLF, which often encountered rough terrain and were left out of the range of their own artillery. The Imperial Army also began purchasing Kibakumo walkers to bolster their mobile air cover capabilities as well as provide additional mobile defence for their static positions. See also *Type-15 U-Wa SPAAG *Type-4 Tokage *Type-93Ho Sōkōkumo Category:Yamatai Category:Mechs